


Realising your potential

by blomie2000



Series: Potential (like all of it) [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Baking, Darcy Lewis-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pepper is a goddess - Freeform, Scientist Wrangler Darcy Lewis, octopus nazis, starlab, tony does a lot of jazz hands, vaffels!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2018-12-11 20:37:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11722107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blomie2000/pseuds/blomie2000
Summary: Darcy settles in at the Avengers facility. Now, if she could just find that potential that everyone kept talking about.





	1. Chapter 1

Being kept by Tone Stark was … weird. 

 

He had given her a job with a vague description that included science wrangler, an apartment and brand new Stark Phone. She felt dazed, a feeling not diminished by Tony continuing to give her jazz hands. Darcy was pretty sure that Tony thought he was doing something cool and intelligent, but to the rest of the world it looked like jazz hands. 

Sweet Thor this was strange.

 

She was escorted to her new apartment by Steve, who was still giving her his I-don’t apporove-but-I’m-not-going-to-say-anything-just-give-you-my-very-dissapointed-look look. Darcy felt very unpatriotic. She also felt like poking him to snap him out of it. But given that he was a super soldier with rock hard muscles, she kept her hands to herself. She might break her finger.

The Captain left her standing in front of her very own and very new front door in one of the side wings of the facility.

 

Darcy sat in her apartment and looked around at the walls. They were white and shiny. And empty. Her belongings were in boxes on the floor. Darcy hadn't unpacked it, she was still trying to decide how she had ended up here. At the new Avengers facility. 

Wait.

How was her boxes here already? 

She turned to the ceiling to ask the AI, who simply said «Tony», like that explained it all. Well, Darcy suppose it does, in this surreal world of heroes, geniuses and maniacs.

 

Which brings her back to the question of how the hell did she end up here?

She knows that the octopus nazis was the reason she ended up in the facility in the first place, but from that to standing in an apartment that was supposedly hers now? That was all Tony and all madness.

With a sigh Darcy falls back onto the very huge and soft bed and closes her eyes. Soon she is sleeping and dreaming of disappointed flags and robotic jazz hands, and then suddenly Mean and Boring was there, slapping her and demanding that she talked. She bolts awake, looking around in confusion before her brain finally desides to remember where she is.

 

Darcy curls in on her self and decides that sleep is overrated. Luckily there’s an AI who is perfectly happy (she thinks) to answer her questions and project a silly movie on the wall. 

 

Maybe living here wont be so bad.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The reunion with Jane is a bit awkward.

There’s tears (Jane), hugging (both), yelling (Jane), swearing (Jane), pop-tarts (Darcy), happy tears (Jane over the pop-tarts) unnecessary musical interludes (Tony), more yelling (Jane at Tony), more hugging (not you Tony!), explaining (Darcy), more tears (both), self-blaming (Jane), more explaining (Darcy), more swearing (both) and finally some quiet.

“I’m sorry”

“For what Jane? It’s not your fault. We just agreed. Stupid fucking octopus Nazis remember?”

“Yes. But…”

“No buts. It happened, and now we deal. No more to it. Now tell me, how goes the Science!?”

Jane happily starts talking about all the Science! that she’s been working on, gushing about the equipment and genuinely being happy. Darcy agrees and hums and lets her talk. This is good. Not the same as New Mexico, but they will make it work.

 

She spends the next few days getting to know the labs, reacquaint herself with Jane's research, avoiding the Avengers and trying to find her place.

Dr. Banner spends a few days a week at the labs with Jane, working in perfect silence and harmony. Unless Tony barges in, which happens a lot. Darcy figures it’s her job now to handle him, so she wrangles him out of the lab unless the Science! he needs to tell Bruce or Jane about seems legitimately urgent. Most of the time it’s not.

Darcy makes systems for dealing with all the Science! that’s happening and all the fires and explosions that follows. She sorts through notes scribbled on napkins and wrappers, and puts them in their appropriate folders. She fills out forms, requests and applications, making the people in HR and Finance love her.

She never sees the other Avengers, and after mourning the loss of all the eye candy, she gets on with her work. Their one and only official meeting during the debrief didn't go very well, and she is keen to keep out of the way of people with super powers who don't think much of her. Even if they didn't say anything, Darcy could Feel the Judgement. Hmm, that would be cool to have on a t-shirt...

Just then something near Jane gives a high-pitched shriek, something it is not definitely absolutely not supposed to do. Squaring her shoulders, Darcy yanks Jane out of the way and starts salvaging what she can near the shrieking machine, awaiting it's imminent explosion.

Feel the Judgement indeed.

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

It’s four in the morning, and Darcy needs sugar and fluff.

The Machine That Shrieked is up and running again, now with a label with it’s new name on.

They managed to contain the explosion to a small area of the lab, and due to Darcys quick moving most of Jane's notes were unharmed. There was still a lot of clean up to do, and it had taken the rest of the day and most of the night. Jane was finally convinced to crash on the couch in the corner of the lab, but Darcy needed sugar and fluff.

And so she found her way to the communal kitchen. It was technically the Avengers kitchen, but by the looks of it no one ever came in here. She checked the cupboards and did a little victory dance when she found all the ingredients she needed to make vaffel. A short trip to her apartment was necessary to dig out the vaffel iron from one of her boxes. Ten minutes later the sweet sweet smell of vaffel drifted out from the kitchen.

 

She should have predicted this, she really should have.

 

The next time she turned around, it was to the sight of the freakin’ Black Widow sitting at the kitchen counter watching her. Darcy will make a poster for her wall that proclaims that she didn’t have a fucking heart attack when that happened.

Natasha just watches her, and after staring at her for a minute, Darcy shrugs and turns back to the vaffel iron. She’s made a decent stack now, but keeping in mind the unexpected-except-you-really-should-have-expected-it company she keeps on for a few more minutes. Finally she turns of the iron and lets it sit to cool. The rest of the batter is put in the fridge. It will keep for a few days.

Carefully the vaffels are stacked and put on a tray with raspberry jam and a fresh pot of coffee. Darcy makes a smaller plate and silently puts it in front of Natasha before heading for the lab with her tray of sugar and fluff.

 

Natasha watches her leave before picking up the first vaffel. She has had them before, but that was a long time ago. They are perfect. A bit too sweet for her liking, but with a bit of sour cream from the fridge it’s perfect.

She has just finished the last vaffel when Clint comes in, sniffing the air with an excited look on his face. It falls when he sees the empty counter and plate in front of Natasha. She just smirks in return.

«What is that smell, and why is the food gone?»

«Darcy was making vaffels.»

«What now?»

Natasha just gets up and puts the empty plate in the sink before heading for the gym. A pouting Clint soon follows. During sparring he tries to get her to tell him what vaffels are. He really should know better than to try to get information out of a former spy.


	4. Chapter 4

It took Clint two day to figure out that asking Darcy for answers was easier than trying to get an answer out of Natasha. By the time he found his way to the lab to ask, Darcy had forgotten all about the vaffels, and it took some time before she figured out what Clint was actually talking about. To be fair, he kept mumbling about Natasha eating it all, not sharing, smell lingering for days, especially in the vents, which, come to think of it, was’t that a bad sign? Like shouldn’t the vents be the first place that got aired out? Darcy was unsure if he wanted her to answer his doubts about the vent.

«Ah, you mean the vaffels.»

«Yes, that. What is it?»

«Oh, man. It’s all sweetness and fluff and sugar and jam and everything that is right up north.»

«What?»

«It’s Norwegian. Or more like Scandinavian. But we first had it when we were in Tromsø while you lot were ridding New York of aliens. Thanks for that by the way. So yeah, vaffels man. They are The Best.»

«So it’s just waffles? I mean they're good, but not that great.»

«No, not waffles, vaffels. Different league in terms of sweetness and fluff. It can’t compare to the waffles.»

«You need to make some then so I can try.»

«I don’t need to do anything. And I just made some. Natasha got a whole stack. Didn’t she share?»

«No»

«Then you'll just have to wait. I don’t make vaffels for any occasion, they are saved for when we Need Them.»

«Aaaaawwhcooomeoooooon!»

«Did you just whine at me like a little kid?»

«….....no»

«And now you’re pouting. And sticking out your tongue. Wow. Mature much?»

«Fine! Be like that.»

«And the triple combo is completed with a good old fashioned sulk. I think I should be more surprised than I am.»

«…....»

«Dude just get out of the lab before you throw a tantrum, I get enough of that from Jane.»

«Hey!»

«Just telling the truth boss lady.»

 


	5. Chapter 5

It’s another bad night.

Not in the mood for a movie, Darcy makes her way to the kitchen to make some tea. Normally she is all about the coffee, but after London she’s come to appreciate a nice cup of tea in the middle of the night.

 

The facility is quiet. Tony and Pepper is in Miami, and she only knows this because it was on the news. She hasn’t seen any of the other big guns, but that isn’t unusual. For the most part it’s just Bruce and Tony that drops by the lab to Science!, the others have no reason to come by.

 

Pepper had given Jane and her a tour of the common areas when she first got here, but Darcy doesn’t feel comfortable hanging out there, no matter what Tony says.

Instead she spends her time in the labs, the shitty gym and her apartment.

The gym isn’t really shitty, in fact it’s state of the art and have all sorts of fancy things. But, as Linda from HR pointed out, it doesn’t have hot super soldiers (they have their own private re-enforced gym), and is therefore shitty.

Darcy is not a fan of working out, but after the whole kidnapping, she wants to at least be able to punch a bastard in the face and do it right. So she hits things and does strength exercises. Running is out of the question, but she does join Bruce for yoga when he rolls out his mat in a corner of the lab. This mostly happens after Tony has come by.

 

Her apartment is still mostly white and shiny. Darcy doesn’t know where to start with all the blank walls, and so she puts it off. She curls up on the couch with a blanket and avoids looking at them. The AI has offered to order some paint, clearly thinking that Darcy needs a push. But she declines, leaving the walls white and feeling the judgement from the AI.

 

Some days when she’s had a bad night she reverts to her tactic from the interrogation room. She keeps silent all day, letting her head fill up with mindless chatter and decorating ideas, cooking recipes and travel plans. The first time this happens Jane and Bruce looks concerned, but they seem to understand and leaves her to it. It’s worse when the silent days collides with Tony. He doesn’t get how anyone can go seven seconds without speaking, but Darcy isn’t budging. Somehow the silence helps her deal with the mess that her brain drags up, and Iron Man or not, he is not messing with something that works for her.

 

With a steady income now, Darcy stocks up her little kitchen and gets baking again. She use to love to bake growing up, but being a poor student didn’t encourage stocked pantries.

In New Mexico there was little time for baking and not a very good kitchen.

Tromsø, on the other hand, was fantastic. In addition to the vaffels from heaven, she had time and inspiration to bake. It seemed that everyone was baking, it was super trendy according to the lab manager, and soon Darcy was dragging up her old recipe book and happily exchanging tips and ideas.

London had been fun at first, in terms of baking. But soon the money was short again and then the stupid dark elves showed up.

And then it was back to Culver and poor poor student life again.

But now, well now she could by all the ingredients she needed to make a kick-ass chocolate cake without thinking about how she was going to make rent that month.

With tea in one hand and a spatula in the other, Darcy spend the rest of the night making millionaire shortbread. She might not be entirely certain about what she is supposed to do here in this facility, but she might as well enjoy it. Besides, the shortbread goes spectacularly well with tea. The British really know their stuff.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Darcy is sitting on the roof and enjoying the sun when someone stands in her way.

«Move.»  
«Oh…. Hi.»

She squints to see that the someone is actually Sam, looking a bit tense.

«Hi. What’s up?»  
«Haven’t seen you around for a while.»  
«Been busy. Also, not an Avenger, so no reason to hang out with the cool crowd.»  
«We totally need more cool in that crowd, you should come hang out.»  
«Sure, maybe I will.»

Sam looks at her like he knows she’s lying, she will not come and hang out with the Avengers.

«So, what brings you up here, throwing shade?»  
«What?»  
«The sun dude, you’re blocking it.»  
«Oh, my bad.»  
«No worries. So what gives? You’re looking kind of tense there.»

Sam sighs and sits down next to her.

«You don’t have to tell me. It’s probably classified.»  
«It is.»  
«Then don’t say anything, just sit here and enjoy the sun.»  
«I trust you not to spill our secrets.»  
«That still doesn’t mean you have to tell me, you hardly know me.»

He shifts a bit and turns to look at her.

«Think you can change the mind of our flag-wearing leader?»  
«Nope.»  
«Well there goes my last hope.»

She snorts at the comment, but he still looks a bit worried. She is a bit surprised to hear that the trouble involves Steve. She might not get along with the Holy Captain of Patrionism, but Sam and him seemed like BFFs the last time she saw them.

«We found him. Or rather, he finally decided to give in to Steve’s stubbornness and come in.»  
«You mean Barnes?»

And wow, that was big news. Cap and Sam had been looking for him for forever.

«Yes. And he is here. And Steve is mothering him like you wouldn’t believe.»  
«Huh.

Well stranger things have happened. But what’s with the worry? Barnes is back with Steve, it’s all good right?»«Yeah, but he’s got issues. Hydra really fucked with his head.»

«Fucking octopus nazis.»

That gets a startled laugh out of him.

«Amen. But he has a lot of healing to do, and Steve is hovering around him worrying. He had decided that everyone in the facility, every civilian that is, needs to be given information on what to do around Barnes.»  
«You mean like a manual?»  
«Yes. And I think he is overreacting. Barnes isn’t safe, but he knows that and he is working on it. It’s slow going, but I think it’s counteractive to get everyone a manual. It’s going to make it harder for Barnes when he finally decides to leave the apartment."  
«But Steve disagrees?»  
«Yes.»  
«Is this the first time you guys have disagreed about something? Is this you first fight?»

Sam cocks an eyebrow at her teasing tone.

«Yes.»  
«And you’re worried?»  
«Yes.»  
«About him, the fight, Barnes or the manual?»  
«All of it.»  
«Oh I totally ship it!»  
«Wait, what?»  
«Nothing.»

He looks at her for a long moment before shaking his head.

  
«Anyway, I’m worried about what this is going to do with the team. Steve doesn’t see clearly when it comes to Barnes.»  
«I’m sure it’s work itself out.»  
«This business isn’t really suited for optimists.»  
«Tell me about it.»

They stay silent for a while.

«Well, you can always come to me and talk about it, even though I don’t have clearance for it.»  
«I trust you.»  
«Famous last words.»  
«Yeah yeah.»


	7. Chapter 7

There is no manual, but there are new safety protocols with very spesific details, so apparently Sam and Steve compromised. Darcy reads them over, decides that the Winter Soldier isn’t going to come anywhere near the labs after his experience with Hydra, and moves on.

She is down in Finance, trying to get Melanie to give her the permission she needs to order some more supplies for the lab. This is a regular occurrence by now. All the fancy lab equipment comes via Stark Industries, but there are tons of little components that are specific to the crazy machines Jane builds. And they need to be specially ordered, sometimes from the weirdest places. Last week Darcy ordered knitting needles, a box of glass beads and some reeds. Like clarinet reeds. The invoice looked insane, but what Jane needed, Jane got. But it also meant that Darcy spent a lot of time down at Finance, since she didn’t have the authority (on paper) to just order seemingly random things.

Melanie was complaining about all the paper work involved, and the time wasted because Darcy wasn’t head of the department. There wasn’t really a department either, just Jane and sometimes Bruce. On her way back, permission papers tightly clutched to her chest, Darcy thinks about the department issue. She is so lost in thought that she doesn’t see where she’s going until she bumps into something hard.

Muttering a curse and dropping to the floor to gather up her papers, she looks up to find Barnes staring down at her. His face is a blank mask, and after a few seconds Darcy just gives him a shrug and a sorry before scooping up her papers and continuing on her way. The curses are still flowing from her mouth under her breath, and it’s only later that she remembers that with his super hearing he could totally hear her.

Well, great. So much for making a good first impression.

 

James is still standing in the hallway, looking after her. He doesn’t know who she is, only that she is the first civilian in this place to not run from him in poorly disguised fear. And the curse words were really inventive.

He shakes it off and continues on his way. Sam had suggested that he familiarised himself with the rest of the facility, which led to a long argument with Steve. That punk was the king of all the mother hens. It was driving James crazy, but he owed Steve everything, so he put up with it. Sam was good, if annoying. He kept pushing Steve to let James do things on his own, like scooping out the whole facility.

He wasn’t stupid, he knows that they are watching him on the monitors, but he ignores it in favour of mapping out all the hallways, exits and weak spots. It calms him, gives him a small feeling of control. He huffs, Sam really knows his stuff. If Steve is a punk then Sam is a bastard. But, he needs help. Anything to get Hydra out of his head for good. So he listens and follows the advice he’s given and ignores every civilian who stare at him or run and hide.

Everyone except the cursing brunette.

 


	8. Chapter 8

It takes a week for Darcy to pluck up the courage to ask Pepper for a meeting. The department issue has been on her mind a lot, and she’s been drawing up charts and reading up on the organisation of SI. Armed with a ton of arguments and numbers, she braces herself for the meeting. Pepper is very busy but always polite to Darcy, so she doesn’t want to waste her time.

She spends a long time explaining the challenges and the solutions, trying to be as precise as possible. Then she sits on her hand as Pepper studies her for a moment.  
“You’ve put a lot of thought and effort into this.”  
“Well yes. It affects me on a daily basis, so it matters a lot to me.”  
“I see. Well, let me look over the papers and talk to the board. I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

Darcy walks out feeling a bit dazed. Damn that woman is amazing. She wants to be like Pepper when she grows up. Professional, unfazed and utterly stunning. A sigh escapes her as she walks down the hall.

  
“Dreaming about my fantastic arms again?”

  
Darcy only jumps a little, which in her book is a victory.

  
“Dammit Clint!”

  
He smirks at her, before nudging her.

  
“Or was it some other part of my amazing body?”  
“Actually it was Pepper.”

  
He raises an eyebrow. Damn, she wanted to be able to do that!

  
“She is a goddess.”

  
Apparently that is good enough for Clint, as it should be, because the eyebrow comes down again.

  
“So, I haven’t seen you around for a while.”

  
Darcy shrugs.

  
“I’ve been busy.”  
“Mhm… Or you’re avoiding us.”  
“I have no reason to avoid you, or to hang out with you.”  
“You don’t even bake anymore!”  
“That was one time, and yes I do. I just do it in my own kitchen.”  
“That’s not fair. You should share the goods.”  
“I do.”

  
Clint was pouting again.  
Darcy stopped before the door to the labs.

  
“Fine, I’ll let you know the next time there’s baked goods in the labs.”

  
He still doesn’t look convinced, but she gives him a wave and disappears into the lab. Superheroes are really just like children. Looking around at the mess in the labs, she concludes that apparently, so are super scientists as well.


	9. Chapter 9

Two days later Darcy is once again sitting across from Pepper. Apparently the board has approved of her proposal, and now Pepper is sitting there, telling her that the new department (Referred to as the StarLab for now) will be headed by Darcy.

“What? Wait, that’s not why I suggested it.”

  
Pepper giver her a smile.

  
“I know. Which is why we are offering you the job. Your proposal is sound, and your suggestions will actually improve the organisation. The paper work is good, and you clearly know what Jane needs. This is a special department, so it will have other requirements than the other more regular ones, but you were right in that is still needs some of the fundamental structures to function within SI.”

  
Darcy is still a bit lost. She figured that they would get someone else in to head the department. But Pepper is right, most of the stuff that was clogging up the process was structural.

  
“You will of course get a proper office and a raise.”

  
Darcy tries to protest, but Pepper is having none of it. The only concession she makes is that the new office will still be locates within the lab area.

 

Darcy takes a deep breath to brace herself for the next part.

  
“I want to start a twitter account for the lab. To show people out in the world a bit of what’s going on on the inside.”

  
Pepper raises one perfect eyebrow. Seriously, can everyone here do that but her?

  
“A twitter account?”  
“Yes. I know it sound a bit silly, but it’s the easiest way to reach people and let them in the loop while still controlling what the loop is.”

  
Pepper thinks for a bit.

  
“The PR department has had a social media strategy for the avengers for a while now.”  
“Really? I haven’t seen anything apart from Tony’s rantings.”  
“Well, the others are very reluctant about the media in general, and the social media in particular.”  
“You don’t say. Well, the PR department better get a handle on it fast, because the public is slowly turning against them.”  
“I know, but there is little I can do.”  
“I suppose hitting the good Captain in the shins is out of the question?”

  
That got a startled laugh out of Pepper.  
They discussed the Avengers and in particular Captain Americas aversion to social media. Before long Pepper invited Darcy to a meeting with the PR department.

  
“Maybe you can come up with a strategy that actually works.”  
“I doubt it, but I’ll do my best.”

Pepper smiles again. Not that Darcy was keeping count. Except she totally was. There may even be a spread sheet.

  
“As for you twitter account, I see no problem with is as long as you adhere to the rules and stipulations set up by the PR department. Most of it concerns not spilling secrets online.”  
“Thanks. There will be no spilling, just small drops of weirdness. I have some great photos of all the weird things I’ve been ordering for Jane. No one can guess what they are for, but it makes for hilarious reading.”

The smirk from Pepper gets its own column in the spread sheet.


End file.
